Council Turns Down Plans For 2 Developments

Concerns that hundreds of new homes could harm the environment led Broward County planners on Thursday to reject two housing developments proposed for Weston and Miramar.

The proposals, which would add 938 homes to the cities, were voted down by the Broward County Planning Council. The council's staff warned that the homes would infringe on wetlands and send even more students to already crowded schools.

Also, the Weston and Miramar projects were not compatible with nearby land approved for agricultural use, planners said.

The proposals will be considered by the Broward County Commission on March 3. The commission has the final word on land-use changes and could overrule the vote on Thursday.

Three landowners want to build up to 500 homes on 219 vacant acres on the southwest side of Weston.

The site, known as the Rosewood property, is west of South Post Road and north of Southwest 36th Street.

Bonnie Miskel, attorney for the property owners, argued that three of the four sides of the Rosewood land are surrounded by areas slated for residential development. She said the landowners would help relieve school crowding by agreeing to pay almost $2 million to the Broward County School Board, far more than required by county impact fees.

But those arguments failed to sway the council.

In Miramar, attorney Dennis Mele said his client, LSC Associates, had agreed to pay almost $2.25 million for new classrooms in return for approval to build a community called Harbour Lakes. LSC wants to put up to 500 homes on 334 acres west of Southwest 184th Avenue and south of Pembroke Road.

But Harbour Lakes sits in what is known as the Everglades buffer strip, land that environmentalists argue is important to leave undeveloped. They want to see the land remain as a supply area for drinking water and for Everglades water recharge.

To offset the impact of building homes, Mele said, LSC would set aside 142 acres in Harbour Lakes as wetlands. And the developer would throw in another 200 acres it owns west of Harbour Lakes and agree never to build there.

Mele said the South Florida Water Management District did not object to building homes in Harbour Lakes.

But council members pointed out that the district is regularly revising its plans for the buffer strip.